The recipe comes with much love and from a magical place surrounded by sea on all sides. This island is in the country where I was born (Venezuela). The island of Margarita is called the sea of the Virgen Bonita (Virgin of the Valley), the flavors of the herbs and the famous sweet chili that in Costa Rica is not found much is the magic touch of madness for the Margariteños plates.
The chucho cake is a typical dish, it bears its name from its main ingredient, which is the ray fish that is colloquially known as Chucho and has been present on Venezuelan tables for more than thirty years. This dish reflects Creole cuisine and it is customary to prepare it at Easter. We suggest here to use local sustainable fish.
Ingredients (Serves 3 people)
1 kg of Chucho, bolillo salpreso or local sea bass
4 cloves of garlic
3 Margariteño sweet peppers
1 tea spoon paprika
1 medium onion
4 ripe plaintains bananas
100 g of raisins
100 g of capers
Salt and pepper to taste
100 g fresh cheese, we suggest goat percorino
1 liter of bechamel sauce or for vegan/lactose free option (3 Tbsp Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour, 2 Cups (480ml) Coconut Milk or other non-dairy milk)
Preparation
Desalt, boil and shred the fish.
Cut in small pieces all seasoning and fry in a pot
When it starts smelling good, add the fish , raisins and capers, stew and salt and pepper until it is very tasty.
Apart from this, fry the ripe plantains cut in small rolls, and set aside.
Oil an oven container, the size will depend on the amount you want to make
Place a layer of banana, one of cheese, fish, potatoes, béchamel, another of banana, béchamel and cheese. Repeat until finished with the ingredients.
Bake for thirty minutes at 180º C.
When everything is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes
Vegan bechamel sauce:
Add the oil to a pot on the stove and heat it at medium to high heat.
As the oil heats, add the flour and stir or whisk vigorously.
Add the soy milk all at once and continue to stir and whisk (you can alternate between a wooden spoon and a whisk) and allow the sauce to gradually thicken.
You will usually get to the right thickness after it has reached boiling point and boiled for a few minutes.
When you’ve reached the desired thickness (keep in mind that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools), remove from the heat and add any spices you choose, such as some salt and black pepper or garlic spice or whatever you choose.
It is a very rich dish that is accompanied with rice and salad.
Enjoy!
Contributed by Soraya from Clandestine Foods.